We love holidays! World Carfree Day encourages everyone to rethink transportation choices on September 22.

At Practically Green we’ve got a Low-Car Diet: see below of a few of the ideas and click here for the full set. You might consider some tweaks to your transportation regime: carpool, car-share, oreven look into a more fuel-efficient vehicle. (Pre-owned is good, too!)

My personal Carfree dream: FlyKly, a new electric bike. I can so easily imagine zipping around town on one of these babies: fully charged it can go 40 miles at 20 mph. Zero emissions. They’re currently available online, and you can test-drive one in New York City. More on that soon…

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Walk your errands, by Andrea Learned

This suggestion sounds overly obvious, right?

My recent move from a small town in Vermont to a dense urban neighborhood in Seattle has re-ignited my enthusiasm for being strategic with my walked errands.  Plus, I have a dog.

I’m like most people in that I need to fit trips to the library, post office, grocery store and all those types of things in and around my working hours. (I am unlike some people in that I have no commute, and work from home, so this does make walking household errands more do-able).  My strategy is to stop each morning and think of the stuff I need to get done.  I then map out (in my head) three things, at most, that I can get done while also walking my dog.

Because I deliberately chose to live in a well laid out, mixed-use neighborhood when I moved here a few months ago, my errand runs include coming across clever pocket parks, a few hidden pathways between the waterfront and residential areas, industrial boat works blocks amid new coffee shops (this is Seattle) – all on the way to my car repair shop.  As well, I gain new insight for future bike routes that I might otherwise have missed in driving too quickly by. (as in: “oh.. so that little street flows into THAT bike route…” ).

Once I start thinking about paths and doing errands in groupings that are walkable, I then keep challenging myself to be even more efficient or to find yet another new sight on future errand walks.  For me, walking begets walking.  I find myself extending what “walking distance” means (compared to “biking distance,” for one), because the slower, street scale pace, can be incredibly calming and enjoyable.  Clearing my head and getting exercise are extra bonuses in trying to live a more green life.

Now, excuse me while I put the leash on my dog…

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Andrea Learned is an author (Don’t Think Pink), blogger, and expert on gender-based consumer behavior, with a focus on sustainability influence and communication. In addition to her blog (http://learnedon.com), Andrea also contributes to the Huffington Post and Greenbiz.com. Follow her on Twitter @AndreaLearned

Meet Lori Alper: blogger, lawyer, mother – and passionate traveler. Here she is with her family in Paris, sigh. We asked for Lori’s Green Family Travel Tips and she doesn’t disappoint — her post hits on 8+ PG actions. Enjoy!

Fly non-stop rather than connect 20 points

Fly one of the top green airlines 5 points

Bring a reusable water bottle 10 points

Low-car diet 5 to 200 points

Keep your showers short 20 points

Shut off the water when brushing teeth 10 points

Turn off the lights when you leave a room 10 points

Contribute to the local community/economy 10 to 50 points

And we just had to add this one, partly because we loathe the red-eye and also because it’s worth a surprising 50 points:

Fly during the day, and not at night

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10 Tips for a Green Family Travel, by Lori Alper

Traveling has always been in my blood. It began when I was very young. I took my first plane ride when my family packed up and moved from New York to Wisconsin. I spent most school vacations traveling by plane to visit my grandparents in Florida. Now living in Boston, traveling has remained an important part of my life. I travel with my family for vacation and to visit cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles that live in far off places.

As a self-proclaimed “greenie” I have given a lot of thought to my frequent travels. I know that the most eco friendly means of travel is to stay put or to travel by foot, bicycle or public transportation. When we stay local this works. But for long distance travel we need a plane. Fortunately, there are many ways us eco-aware tourists can make our travels green.

10 Tips for a Green Family Travel

Eco friendly skies

1. Fly non-stop. Thankfully new non-stop flights are popping up to more remote locations. Flying non-stop reduces carbon emissions since much of the fuel burned on airplanes occurs during take-off and landing.
2. Fly one of the top green airlines. Practically Green has a great list of airlines that have made an effort to reduce their impact on the earth.
3. Use a mobile boarding pass. This will save many trees from being used as paper. The only problem I have found with mobile boarding passes is that each family member needs to have a smart phone to download their pass. My young children don’t have their own phones so I haven’t been able to use this feature when traveling with my family.
4. Reduce waste. Sometimes when I travel all of my green habits are thrown by the wayside. I have been making a conscious effort to bring along my reusable water bottle. Although it can’t be filled when going through security it is nice to have along for the trip. I pack it empty and fill it later. I always try to avoid buying plastic bottles of water-they create waste and the plastic is harmful.
5. Once you’re there take public transportation, walk, or bike whenever possible. By choosing public forms of transportation you will keep your carbon footprint to a minimum. Sometimes there’s no better way to see a city then to walk or cycle.

The hotel

1. Find a hotel with sustainable practices. Hotels throughout the world are becoming more and more eco friendly, but some are doing a better job than others.  Before you book a hotel room check with a hotel rating site like Eco Hotels of the World, and find places to stay that take environmental issues into consideration.
2. Take advantage of the linen reuse program at hotels. Many hotels offer these programs to guests, encouraging them to reuse towels and linens. This on average saves the hotel 11 to 17 percent on hot water and sewer costs.  Although the hotel is directly saving money, this program has a large environmental impact by reducing the amount of water needed and detergent used.
3. Keep your showers short, and shut off the water while you’re brushing your teeth.
4. When you leave your hotel room don’t forget to turn off the lights, air conditioning/heat and television.

One more green travel tip: Contribute to the local community. Wherever you are, make an effort to shop at local markets and use local businesses. Buy local, seasonal product rather than imported products.

The good news is these tips are incredibly easy and don’t require much effort or sacrifice when traveling.

Are any of these tips already part of your family travel? How do you make your travel green?

Author note:  Lori Popkewitz Alper is the founder and editor-in-chief of Groovy Green Livin, a site dedicated to sharing simple green living tips and current information on sustainable living with individuals, families, schools and businesses. Connect with Lori and Groovy Green Livin on Facebook /Groovy Green Livin, via Twitter @groovygreenlivi.

Sign up for a car-sharing program

Stressed by your commute? Want to liberate yourself from the expenses and hassle of owning a car? Conscious of noxious fumes in the air? Do you really NEED your own car? Want to test a cool new low-fuel alternative?

My own experience with Zipcar has been magical. The most cumbersome part was the one-time sign-up process, but I suppose a relatively careful driver check is a good idea — especially since ZipCar provides complimentary gas and insurance coverage! Choose your vehicle and pick-up location online, and — amazing to me — the car is THERE as promised, and ready for you!

Zipcar offers vehicles in hundreds of locations: http://www.zipcar.com/find-cars/

If you’re a college student – or faculty, employee, or simply live in the neighborhood – chances are you have Zipcar or another car-sharing service close by. (Join ZipcarU on Facebook here.) And starting today, vehicle choices include a new fleet of Ford Focus and Escape vehicles at discounted rates. Bill Ford has been interested in traffic-congestion solutions for decades, and Zipcar convinced him that a partnership made sense:

“It’s a great way to reach these first-time drivers,” Mr. Ford said. “And the data shows that the No. 1 reason people leave Zipcar is to buy a vehicle, and that they are heavily influenced by what they have driven as a member.”

“Millennials appear to have developed a very different view of the automobile. Access and convenience are their top priorities, meaning that Zipcar and its alliances with companies such as Ford can deliver what they want easily, affordably and with the technology and sustainability they truly value,” said Zipcar chairman and CEO Scott Griffith.

Are you a Zipcar member? How do you like it? Do you have another idea to make transportation more convenient — and greener?

I’m ready to go public with my new routine: Walking to work regularly. I’m beyond gratified to see that this action is worth 200 points on Practically Green, because it feels like a major change to me, WALKING instead of stuffing myself into the subway. Between us, I am so proud of myself it’s ridiculous!

Now that I’ve been at it for a few weeks, I’m a convert, so here are my tips on how to make a change like this in your life.

Plan. First, plug in your coordinates on Google Maps.  Click the “beta” pedestrian option. No excuses! Do not balk at the extra time this is going to take. Do not complain about the weather! No whining! Just do it. This is 46 minutes of “me” time.

Note route highlights. Mine include a Whole Foods and a scenic bridge over the Charles River. On my way home yesterday, I stopped in at WF to buy fresh dinner veggies – felt so Parisian stuffing a head of lettuce and a cuke into my bag!

Decide what to wear. Notice the weather, i.e. temperature, wind, likelihood of rain. Also anticipate your potential for sweating (PFS). My PFS is high.  And, I walk briskly — I want this to count as exercise, of course!

The morning of my inaugural walk to work dawned with pouring rain. I was ready with my monsoon slicker. By the time I arrived at Kendall Square the crisp “work” top beneath was drenched. Luckily I had a spare t-shirt to put on. Now I’ve got it down: I wear a roomy t-shirt for the trip over and morph into presentable start-up guru in the hotel bathroom next door. (Note to self: remember to bring a People Towel tomorrow!)

Don’t forget the sunscreen! Make-up: forget it due to PFS. Note to self: will need to revisit this once summer tan has faded.

Bag: I am not yet 100% satisfied with mine (husband’s conference swag) and would love recommendations.

Cargo: I have made a few cargo adjustments. I now lock my laptop at the office so I don’t have to lug it. I wear sneakers on the walk. I keep a pair of shoes at the office (okay, two: one heels and one flats).

Carriage: a yoga/pilates aficionado, I remind myself constantly that the walk is a 46-minute opportunity to suck in my abs and keep my shoulder-blades rolled back and away from my ears.

Amusement. As so many pedestrians know, from President Lincoln to Virginia Woolf, walking is great for thinking. In a world jammed with texts and screens, it’s refreshing to unplug completely for the better part of an hour. No doubt you’ll find your own little things to “do” with yourself as you march along.

And it is a march! It’s a triumphant, glorious feeling to move oneself to work in the fresh air, noticing from a distance the T as it hurtles over the same bridge, the wretched grimy train cars packed with passengers barely visible through the opaque windows. It is nice not to smell everyone else’s summer aromas, to arrive at work dewy and invigorated.

What happens when it gets cold and icy? I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it, haha. Stay tuned.

We love introducing Practically Green to great people who want to live healthy & green — and who better than Birchbox, a hard-working team of NYC start-up whizzes with a genius delivery scheme for beauty brands. They chose ONE action for every day this week.

Today: Walking to Work by Lorelei Orfeo, assistant editor at Birchbox. She’s got 200 new points for this action!! For inspiration, tips, and product ideas on Walking to Work Regularly, click here: http://practicallygreen.com/walk-to-work-regularly .

Living in NYC, I’ve never really considered my transportation a big energy concern. I never drive, rarely take cabs, and rely on public transportation for all my day-to-day activities. Easy access to the subway and busses is something I’ve come to expect and love about living in a city. For all the advantages though, it can be a pretty uncomfortable situation.  There’s nothing like being squished into a subway car with 100 other sweaty people during rush hour to make you appreciate the privacy of a car. And while the MTA in New York is making some excellent energy improvements, they still have a ways to go to transition fully to more energy efficient trains, escalators, and maintenance systems. These things don’t happen overnight, of course.

So when a big move brought the Birchbox office closer to my apartment, I knew it was time to switch to a healthier commute. Instead of a 5-minute walk to the subway and a 10-minute ride, I take a 15-20 minute walk. In the last week I’ve taken a new route every morning, discovered a cute little park on the way, and stopped to run errands on after work at night. It’s reduced stress in my mornings because I know exactly how long it’s going to take to get to work and I get a little energy boost while walking. If you aren’t lucky enough to live quite so close to your office, try walking home in the evenings when you have more time or driving part-way and walking the rest. The only downside? I miss the time I used to spend reading on the train! I may have to invest in some good audio books to make up for it.

We’re celebrating On-the-Go summer actions and can’t think of a better guide than Megan Ramey, shown here biking to work with her daughter, who gets off at the first stop for childcare…. Check out these 7 biking actions – and their points! Megan gets 150 points on Practically Green for biking to work regularly!

“We’re a car-free family. This is how I function the best: using a bike for my transportation. It gives me peace of mind.”

Peace of mind? Biking in Boston, headquarters for extreme drivers? We asked Megan to please explain.

“Bike maintenance is so easy compared to auto maintenance. It’s not like a car that breaks down. Once you buy a bike, for maybe $400, you have a dependable means of transport. You’re in the fresh air. Second, it’s a built-in gym workout. I’ve lost 25 pounds over the course of five years. Third, it’s extremely easy to get around on a bike. I go door to door, don’t have to look for a parking pace. Don’t have to look for a gas station!”

What about blizzards? Thunderstorms?

“In bad weather I take the T.”

What about attire. This can be a challenge, right? Not for Megan:

“I don’t wear special clothing. I just think about it, don’t go too fast so I don’t get sweaty. I’m careful to stay four feet from car doors, I do not use roads that busses are on, and in Massachusetts it’s legal to take the lane. Google maps has a new biking option for directions, so it’s easy to figure out a route.”

Have to say we’re getting pretty interested. Maybe biking to work one day a week is possible.

More tips from Megan:

• The bike you ride is very important. You need a rack or a front basket – you do not want to carry stuff on your back because then you will get sweaty.

• Make sure you have a chain guard.
• And a bell.
• I ride a three-speed Phillips, it’s easy and durable.

“Hey, if you want to include some great resources for ‘on the go’ biking with kids: www.totcycle.com and www.2wheels1baby.blogspot.com.” {this is Megan’s blog}

What about helmet hair?

“Not a problem for me. I have a Bern helmet and it even has detachable earflaps for colder weather!”

Hmmm…. this crisp white one might be perfect for summer:

Psst to Megan, submit this product idea right on the action page!!    

Why not give it a try?

Okay, I just added Bike to work one day a week to my plan!!!!

What about you? Do you bike to work? To school? To shop? For fun? What are your tips and what might encourage you to bike more?

Note: Megan is the Sustainability Programs Coordinator for A Better City, which organizes partners around the city of Boston’s vision for transportation, land development and environmental sustainability.

A Better City is a new business partner at Practically Green, with a customized PG platform created to support their member and employee programs. If you work for a company that’s interested in creating a robust interactive tool for green initiatives, RSVP to Linda Natansohn, linda@practicallygreen.com.

Stressing about your holiday plans? Take a deep breath and consider a Staycation! Anna Rabhan’s guest post has me absolutely itching to…  stay home!

(P.S. In addition to all of Anna’s excellent suggestiuons, I want to share this one from my friend Tamara: the JBF America’s Classics. It’s a collection of amazing and little-known locally owned restaurants. See if there’s one near you!)

Stay Put: Make Your Vacay a Staycay this Year, by Anna Rabhan

It wasn’t until I left my home state that I realized how much I hadn’t seen of it. That’s a good place to start. Ask yourself, “What would a tourist to my area do?”

The term “staycation,” referring to saving money by eschewing the air travel, hotel stays and frequent restaurant meals long-distance travel requires, popped up in the U.S. during the 2007 financial crisis. However, growing climate concerns have caused us to also consider the detrimental effects of long-distance travel. The 3,000 gallons of fuel an airliner burns just on takeoff and the 50 tons of trash and over one million gallons of wastewater produced during a one-week cruise give us pause when dreaming of our getaway.

Staycationing is a greener option because eliminating air travel means not contributing to the significant emissions and fuel and energy consumption involved. Eliminating a hotel stay means not contributing to the several million gallons a year of water that a large hotel can use, the massive energy consumption its constant occupation causes, or the huge amount of waste it produces. Aside from those obvious environmental impacts, one must also consider that the food vacationers eat is generally not produced or distributed in a sustainable way, that vacationers produce much more waste than when they are home, and many more factors that aren’t as in-your-face as a jet.

Besides, planning a fabulous staycation is so easy! A good starting place, especially if you’re new to the area, is the local or state tourism bureau. Type “Visit(State or City)” into your browser and you’ll find tons of them. It’s a great way to discover local festivals and interesting things to do like the garlic festival in Gilroy, CA, stand-up paddleboard eco-tours in Florida, and Samuel Adams Brewery tours in Boston.

It wasn’t until I left my home state that I realized how much I hadn’t seen of it. That’s a good place to start. Ask yourself, “What would a tourist to my area do?” Chances are that you know of a lot of cool stuff to see and things to do that you’ve never actually seen and done yourself! A Texan may have been to Paris, but has he seen the Alamo? Been to the Space Center in Houston? We tend to overlook what’s close to us, perhaps thinking that we’ll get to it someday, in favor of what seems exotic. On a staycation you can explore those hometown treasures.

If you’d rather not hang out with all the other tourists, break the mold and search out the secret spots. There are several publications, like Hidden Portland by Carye Bye, designed to help you find these places. But part of the fun of these little American cubbyholes is finding them yourself. So, Oregonian, go on a solitude treasure hunt led only by Ev Hu’s vague clues. Just promise not to reveal the locations if you do find them!

Another great way to plan your staycation is to theme it up. Think about what you’re interested in. A Kansan history buff can follow a bit of the Santa Fe trail, learn about the intersection of Native Americans and European settlers, experience pioneer life, and sample everything from American Indian to vegetarian fare all in the little town of Council Grove. Check out USA Today’s “10 great places to discover Midwest charm” for more inspiration.

If you are a seasoned staycationer and it seems like you’ve exhausted your options, it’s time to get weird! How about visiting the remnants of The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices in Minnesota? Consult the Weird series of books to get started. With rocks that move all by themselves and a submerged town that rose up again out of Lake Mead, there’s way more weirdness in Nevada than just Las Vegas.

Check out Practically Green’s action pages on reducing leisure air travel and other travel-related topics, and start planning your awesome staycation today!

Anna Rabhan is a freelance writer, editor, educator and consultant. She writes a column about green issues as the Organic Adventurer and is a green home and living consultant. She enjoys taking her dog to the park, traveling, kayaking, photography and anything else that gets her close to nature. Check out her green actions on her Practically Green page!

Did we mention how much we love working with our Editorial Director Alexandra Zissu?

I am not sure how she does it all. I suspect she has no sleep, perhaps she has an identical twin. How else could she produce Practically Green’s actions, write occasional pieces for The New York Times, consult on healthy living, advise her mother on wallpaper, think of putting her woolens into the freezer in moth season (i.e., now), play in afternoon puddles with her kindergartener? And always look so stylish when we skype? (And I think she might be married to some sort of a celebrity, too….)

I may never know. But on top of all that, Lexy’s book The Butcher’s Guide to Well-Raised Meat, is about to come out. Every carnivore on your list should own it. It’s just in time for grilling season and Father’s Day, and we want to announce it to the world. (Click here for a meatball recipe…. For The Perfect Steak, see p. 175. For Bite-Your-Tongue-Tacos, p. 185. For Chicken Rub: p. 216. I could go on and on.)

*          *          *       OVER TO LEXY:      *          *          *

There is tremendously much to be gained from exclusively buying and eating meat from animals that were raised sustainably: it’s better for the animals, it’s better for the earth, it’s better for the farmers, it’s better for us. I believe so strongly in this that I devote an entire chapter to understanding what this means and how to obtain it in my second book, The Conscious Kitchen. But one chapter wasn’t quite enough. Which is why I spent the past year and a half plus writing a book, my fourth, The Butcher’s Guide To Well-Raised Meat: How To Buy, Cut, And Cook Great Beef, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, And More, with Joshua and Jessica Applestone of Fleisher’s Grass-fed and Organic Meats in Kingston, New York. It comes out June 7^th and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Beyond the writing there were visits to farms, slaughters, slaughterhouses. I watched countless animals being broken down from whole to parts (oddly ballet-like and beautiful to see burly men and women find and coax out cuts like constellations in a sky of flesh); a lost art in a world of shrink wrapped meat parts in supermarkets. I even donned a mesh apron and attempted to carve a little myself–it’s a lot harder than it looks.

I once went on a trip to a Wal-Mart with Jessica, one of her apprentices who now owns a shop in L.A., and the master butcher who has taught generations of chefs at the Culinary Institute of America. There we read packages for three straight hours, getting a true sense of what conventionally-raised meat looks like. Back at the shop, Jess walked the apprentice through a taste test: the Wal-Mart meat versus what she sells. I balked, refusing to put conventionally-raised meat in my mouth. There was a little tension that day, but I think everyone understood it was my deep conviction and understanding of what happens to conventionally-raised animals that made me the right writer for this project. Kept in cages and pens, hopped up on drugs (scary hormones and antibiotics), and fed the most horrible genetically modified crap imaginable.

It is amazing to me that the general public knows so little about what they eat, and yet willingly dines on — and feeds their children — meat from truly unhealthy animals containing residues of these drugs and this feed. We are what we eat. We are also what the animal we ate ate, too. If I served you a plate of chicken shit, would you puree it and spoon-feed it to your baby? No. But this is considered acceptable cattle feed, according to our government. And we offer those cattle to our families. I. Cannot. Put. That. In. My. Body.

Sustainable isn’t a government defined or third party certified term, unlike USDA organic. The key factor in something truly sustainable is therefore human interaction: I know my butcher and they know their farmers and their slaughterhouse guys and how they operate. This trust is better to me than USDA organic. I know the right questions to ask anyone selling at the farmers’ market to see if I also trust them. It’s clearly not as deep of an understanding as I have with my butcher, but we describe in The Butcher’s Guide To Well-Raised Meat the sort of questions you want to have answered to establish a similar trust. I prefer meat from local small farm pastured animals to something that might be raised on a big farm far from where I live, then frozen and shipped to me, even if the latter has been certified organic.

Finding sustainably raised meat can be a challenge. But in The Butcher’s Guide To Well-Raised Meat we explain how to find it no matter where you live. So if you don’t happen to live in and around the Hudson Valley, or near Brooklyn, where Fleisher’s is opening a second shop in September, you can still find well-raised meat near you. Just because something is local doesn’t mean it is automatically sustainable. You’re looking for healthy farming practices that don’t harm the environment, humane animal treatment, support of farming communities, fair wages and treatment for laborers. And you need to know your producers so you can trust what they’re saying about pesticides and fertilizers, hormones and non-therapeutic antibiotics. Fleisher’s doesn’t freeze and ship; that’s unsustainable.

Consumers can play a big role in what is and isn’t sustainable. Not only should we be seeking out sustainable meat, but also we shouldn’t be eating tons of it. Raising animals for food is an energy intensive experience. To lower the impact, we can reduce how much we eat. This will also help even out the cost of switching from conventional (cheap) to sustainable (more expensive) meat. We have great tips in the book on how to eat pastured meat on a budget. Being a conscious consumer means understanding that if you’re buying from people who are raising and selling whole animals, it’s sustainable to eat the whole animal. There is only one hanger steak on an entire steer. So if you get to a shop or a farmers’ market and there is no hanger left, that’s why. Don’t walk away because you didn’t get what you wanted; it’s the rare person that gets the hanger when you’re not buying boxed conventional meat. Buy something else. Ask what else tastes similar that is still available, or what else might be good. And don’t forget to ask for cooking instructions or check out the recipes in The Butcher’s Guide To Well-Raised Meat. Something that was outside roaming instead of penned up all of its life will be leaner and more muscular and therefore need to be cooked differently.

Enjoy!

P.S. Just noticed the tiny tagline on Lexy’s website, an enchanting stream of consciousness rivulet: “research obsessed writer trying to help you make the world a better eco friendlier place one simple nontoxic step at a time for us and our children and their children and the earth we share”. Exactly.

Early bird reviews:

“Particularly handy are the easy-to-use guides that reveal the best cooking methods for specific cuts of meat, ensuring that you’ll never make the mistake of deep-frying a cow spleen again. Let grilling season commence! TimeOutNewYork

“…clear, useful instruction on dealing with cuts of beef, lamb, pork, and poultry, interesting meditations on sustainable dining, and a dozen or so recipes thrown in for good measure.”
 Publishers Weekly

News Picks:

Dan Shapley, our friend from The Daily Green, wrote a great piece this week: The Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of 2011. The only thing more straightforward than the title is the article itself. In true Daily Green fashion, Shapley’s article is smart, helpful, and consumer-friendly. I suggest you give it read, it is truly astonishing how far we’ve come with fuel efficiency. And remember to get PG points while you’re at it!

The New Contraband: 8 Doomed Items in the New Green World: This slide show from Fast Company is a little frightening, but definitely worth a read. From common examples like Styrofoam and plastic bags, to surprising mentions like Happy Meals and pets, Fast Company opens our eyes to some pretty interesting environmental and health concerns.

You must check out the Green Wine Guide from TreeHugger! Instead of simply mentioning the formalities of the green wines (which is wonderful in and of itself), they feature a delicious recipe that perfectly complements each wine! When I read this I was dying to host a dinner party, I bet you will be too!

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the movie “Clueless” (it was the early 90’s, give me a break), and hence in love with Alicia Silverstone. So you can imagine how absolutely ecstatic I was when I found out that instead of making appearances on Law&Order or starring in infomercials, she’s making a living as a green superhero! Check out her website The Kind Life, or read her book, The Kind Diet (vegan awesomeness).

Multi-Media Pick:

With the Superbowl rapidly approaching, I couldn’t help but feature this hilarious commercial from 2010. It continues to be one of my favorites of all time. Bravo Audi, we love green!

New and Cool Pick:

Top 5 Green Gadgets that Juice Your Phone: I can’t stand it when my phone loses battery, but I feel guilty charging it all day. This article from Inhabitat gives a few great green options for keeping your phone fully charged with no more guilt! Don’t forget to earn those PG points, too!

News Picks:

Looking to help out with a great cause? Check out Million Trees NYC! This PlaNYC goal is one of 127 great initiatives to make NYC a better place. Get inspired to do the same where you live! With cool recent news stories and tons of different options to help out, the site is a must-see! Whether you locate a great place to plant a tree, volunteer to plant one, or donate $, there are endless options to do your part! And remember, get your PG points for planting a tree!

Next time you’re looking for a great read, check out Better World Books. Whether you’re looking for a mystery novel or cookbook (or Textbook if you’re me!), they have it all! The best part? They’re a great cause, too! I stumbled over the “Our Impact” section of their website and was beyond impressed. Not only have they “re-used or recycled over 53 million pounds of books and raised over $8.6 million for global literacy and local libraries,” they also feature an awesome story of a specific cause. (I read about Edna Adan Ismail of Somalia). Visit this website, you won’t regret it!

I’m a big fan of Preserve products, so I was thrilled when I found this article by Pablo Paster of Treehugger, one of my favorite sites! Preserve really means it when they say: “Nothing wasted. Everything gained.” Paster gives us the low-down on the benefit of recycled toothbrushes and more!

Benefits include:

• 54% less water;
• 75% less oil;
• 48% less coal;
• 77% less natural gas; and
• 46% less electricity.

Don’t forget to check out Preserve yourself for more info! And get PG points for switching to a recycled toothbrush!

Multi-Media Pick:

I was on The Environmental Blog website today and came across a hilarious video posted by johntarantino1 in 2008. If you haven’t seen it before, or even if you have, you have to watch it! As someone who tries to bike a lot, weather permitting, I could certainly feel this guy’s pain. As we try to do what we can to live healthy, green lifestyles, let’s laugh at the obstacles that come up! Do like this guy does and get PG points!

New and Cool pick:

Green Universities: Tips for Going Green at College:

Thank you, thank you to The Daily Green! I just HAD to share this awesome part of their site. Even if you’re not in college yourself, maybe you were at one time, or  know somebody that is. If so, they, and you, know how hard it is to be green when you’re away from home (I know I struggle!). This section of The Daily Green is all about going green at college! From the best dorm plants, to the best Environmental Studies programs, it is full of great information for everyone, and not just college students. I’ve never seen this type of resource, talk about new and cool!

News Picks:

19 Easy Home Winterization Projects: The Daily Green gives some great tips on warming up your house this season without turning up the heat! From the draft snake to caulking and weatherstripping, this article provides lots of energy-saving ideas to help you save money and earn PG points at the same time!

Rhoost Baby-Proofing Products: This video from Daily Grommet introduces a line of child-safety devices made of recycled materials with no screws or adhesives, without BPA, PVC, lead, or phthalate. The line, Rhoost, was created by Vianka Perez Belyea and Tavinder Phull, two mothers sick of the traditionally complicated baby-proofing methods. The products are also portable: perfect for visits to Grandma’s!

BaaLLS: Another great alternative to traditional dryer sheets! These reusable, handmade, wool dryer balls reduce drying time for a full load by 40%! They are also unscented, use no chemicals, soften clothes, and reduce static. Made in the U.S. of 100% pure virgin wool, these dryer balls are a great way to earn PG points!

Multi-Media Pick:

Air-Powered Car, AirPod: The Future Of Urban Transportation? This article and video from The Huffington Post covers the latest invention in transportation. In the UK, a tiny car was created running on — that’s right, you guessed it — compressed air. Emitting nearly nothing, with speeds up to 50 mph, this little car could be the future! It may seem out of reach for the average motorist, but for now there’s always the hybrid! Purchase or lease one today and earn PG points!

Interested in fashion? Sheila Viswanathan of The Good Guide gives a great interview with Howard Brown, co-founder of Stewart+Brown on his sustainable clothing label. The interview discusses Brown’s reasons for creating a sustainable fashion brand, what we can look forward to in the 2011 collection, and the importance of product transparency when promoting sustainability.

New and Cool Pick:

On cold winter days like these that we can’t help but dream of our next vacation. How about instead of a regular hotel or resort, you look to something different. The  5 Cool Eco Friendly and Green Hotels, from Montana to Botswana, chosen by the Travelphant Travel Blog are just the tip of the iceberg. Next time you schedule a trip, look for hotels like these! From organic food, to recycling waste, these destinations have it all when it comes to green.

Ever wonder how you might become a more eco-conscious airplane traveler?

Here’s how you find out:

Go to Practically Green and type the word “FLY” into the search box. You’ll get seven suggestions:

Drive on a short trip (<400 miles) versus fly

Fly non-stop rather than connect

Reduce leisure air travel significantly (1 or fewer trips per year)

Choose train over plane for most trips under 400 miles

Fly during the day, not at night

Fly one of ‘top 10′ green airlines

Purchase carbon offsets for a flight

These actions range in impact from low (5 points) to high (100 points).

Can you guess which one is the most impactful? The least? You might be surprised!

Do you have an idea that we haven’t thought of yet? Please suggest it to us! Below the search results you’ll see: “Are we missing something?” and a clickable button: “Please suggest an action.”

Once you’ve taken the Quiz and registered, you can also recommend products and services across the entire database.

*   *   *   Bon voyage!   *   *   *

News Picks:

Still looking for New Year’s resolutions? How about changing your transportation habits! The year ahead in bikes, an article by Elly Blue on Grist, discusses getting around on two wheels in 2011. Better infrastructure, more bike-sharing programs, and environmental urgency could propel bike usage forward! Remember, you can get PG points for committing to bike-related actions in 2011.

Nike Print Pack: Shoes Made from Old Magazines: That’s right, magazines. Just when we thought Nike couldn’t get any cooler! I have a bunch of friends that would love a pair of these recycled kicks. Just another way to reuse!

School gardens improve health and academic performance, reduce discipline problems:

In an article on world.edu, Jennifer Copley gives some great insight as to why education continues to become a crucial aspect of green living. The article provides explanations of major health and behavioral benefits of school gardens, including some helpful statistics. Advocate for your child’s school to start a garden today and earn some PG points!

Multi-Media Pick:

A vision for sustainable restaurants: As green living continues to spread, it’s no wonder the restaurant industry has begun to take the hint. English chef and restaurant owner Arthur Potts Dawson is a pioneer. Watch his talk on TED and be inspired to visit a dine-green certified restaurant near you…and of course earn some PG points!

New and Cool Pick:

Giving Those Old Gadgets a Proper Green Burial: Mickey Meece’s NY Times article sheds light on some of the most difficult recycling challenges of today. Old chargers or remotes you don’t know what to do with? The article suggests many helpful and unexpected places to turn including Best Buy, Target, Apple, and cell-phone service providers, many of whom offer trade-in programs which will also earn you PG points!

News Picks:

When told to eat their veggies, Americans order fries: This is a topic that has been trending in the health community lately. (The New York Times, PoliticsDaily and Life360 to name a few.) The concern? Despite several efforts such as health initiatives, strict dietary guidelines, and the baby-carrot campaign we told you about last week, only 26% of adults are eating veggies three or more times a day. Encourage your friends and family to not be part of this statistic!

It’s not just the New York Jets field that’s green: The NY Jets recently installed the largest solar-powered system in the NFL, drastically reducing the stadium’s CO2 emissions. Another way to green your football season!

Riding pretty: For those of you PG’ers who think of unflattering spandex shorts in obnoxious colors and drab tennis shoes for bicycle-wear, you may reconsider. This article speaks of how bicycles have become a very chic mode of transportation, and just because you may sweat a little doesn’t you cant wear your favorite jeans and wedge heels. We love how some cities and towns are making it easy for people to adopt biking as their main mode of transportation — and now commuter bikers can look fab, too!

Multi-Media Pick:

Mini aces of cakes: These pint-sized bakers are too cute for words. Kids from KIWI magazine’s 2010 Next Great Young Chef contest appeared on the Nate Berkus show to show off their recipes. The contest winner is featured below: Lily Phipps with her “monkey business chocolate rice pudding” that includes bananas and organic chocolate.

New and Cool Pick:

A new way to be prepared: This Emergency Bra, which doubles as a gas mask to filter out harmful airborn pollutants may seem a bit extreme, but the creator was inspired by his own experience with the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. The bra can be used as an everyday bra, a nursing bra, a strapless bra, and two face masks, and also won the 2009 lg Nobel Public Health Prize.

Are you eyeball-deep in back-to-school stuff right now?

Welcome to our world.

Here at Practically Green headquarters, we’re working on a set of back-to-school actions that will make this transition easier and healthier: overall better and fun!

In case you haven’t had a chance to check out Practically Green yet, back-to-school is the perfect entree occasion. Would you like to Carpool to school one day a week? Green your kids’ after-school snack? Use eco-friendly school supplies?

You’ll see right away that each of these positive actions comes with info on why it’s green, and how to do it, when you Switch to a reusable lunchbox, Cover textbooks with a paper bag, or Join an eco-action team at your school. Whatever you decide to do, you can recommend your favorite products, share your stories, and rate your experience.

But that’s not all, because Practically Green is also a game.

Playing is a breeze: When you say Yes, you get points!

To get started, take the Quiz. (It’s one of those tests where you can’t possibly fail and can only benefit.) Get your score. Check off the green actions you’ve already taken, and consider new ones. Earn points. Earn more points! Move up!

If you don’t want to play, that’s fine. You can still enjoy Practically Green. Our goal is to help you take eco-friendly actions in your daily life. Big things, like making your home as energy-efficient as it can be, or creating a healthy and waste-free kitchen (We’ve got 21 ideas on how to accomplish that one, like Switching to Teflon-free cookware, Using recycled paper towels, and Upgrading to an ENERGY-Star dishwasher.)

So, whether you’re ready to investigate trying all-natural toothpaste or obsessed with insulating your roof, Practically Green can help you do it and enjoy the process!

News Picks:

Five kids who are changing the world: Read about five inspiring kids who are making the world a better place. Whether it’s growing organic crops and donating them to soup kitchens, or knitting home-made hats to fight hunger, these kids make us feel better about the world we live in.

How to turn an old iPod into cash: Every time you turn around, Apple is releasing a new generation of the iPod — making them smaller, more fun colors, touch screen…. (Does anyone remember the iPod with the original scroll wheel and four individual buttons?) It’s enough to give you whiplash! This article uncovers a few ways you can get cash for even the most archaic of gadgets, so you can get rid of that iPod mini collecting dust in your desk drawer. As a bonus, you can get 10 PG points for recycling your electronics.

Can we green our Planes next? Have those monthly business trips or annual family vacations put an annoyingly significant dent in your carbon footprint? Hopefully, soon this will be less of an issue. Many airlines are testing plant-based biofuels in an effort to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Multi-Media Pick:

Farmers market frenzy: Happy national farmers market week! People everywhere are becoming more interested in farmers markets, PG is lucky enough to have one right outside of our office in Boston on Tuesdays and Fridays this summer. You can find one near you here. Get 5 points on Practically Green for buying local produce. Check out this video featuring organic farmer Rebecca Schwen, as she discusses the growing interest in farmers markets.

New and cool pick:

Scrub your veggies clean: Skrub’a is a cool line of gloves you can use to scrub those veggies you just picked up at the farmers market, without losing any of the nutrients. There are different colors for veggies, carrots, and potatoes, and they sure beat the heck out of peeling or using (gasp) a paper towel.

Diane MacEachern is one of the more highly respected and legendary green bloggers around. She is the author of the popularly acclaimed Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World. She launched her blog Big Green Purse in 2007, with a background in politics and policy, and a passion for helping “women use their marketplace clout to protect the environment.”

“I was very frustrated about the lack of progress legislatively on environmental issues,” she says. “At the same time I was feeling an immense opportunity to involve women on these issues. When I researched what was going on in the marketplace, I saw that women have the potential to make enormous change happen. There’s no one solution, of course. You’ve got to keep fighting to pass legislation. But if more people took some meaningful actions in their lives, if we had more of the information we need, then most people would be doing the right thing and together we’d make a positive, measureable difference. I talk every day with women who have to get to work, get home, feed the kids, and try and get a little break for themselves. Through Big Green Purse, I want to give them fresh, simple messages on how to do that in a way that’s safe, healthy, and good for the planet, too.”

Earlier this year, Diane took the new Chevy Volt for a ride and she has graciously given us permission to reprint her review here:

Test Drive the New Chevy Volt With Me

The Chevy Volt is electrifying the car market – especially in the wake of the oil disasters in the Gulf of Mexico and now, Lake Michigan. Every one of us needs to stop using oil so the Volt, which can drive 40 miles on a battery powered by electricity rather than an engine fueled by oil, has a lot of appeal. General Motors, which is taking orders on the car for delivery this fall, claims the vehicle is “designed to move 75% of America’s daily commuters without a single drop of gas. That means for someone who drives less than 40 miles per day (which is most Americans), Chevy Volt will use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions.” After 40 miles, a smaller, 4-cylinder internal combusion engine uses premium-grade gasoline to produce more electricity, extending the car’s range an additional 300 miles.

Diane Behind the Wheel of the Volt

I’d already been on Fox News talking about the Volt; now I jumped at the chance to do a test drive. I regularly get 45 mpg on my 2002 Prius, which I love. And last summer I test drove the Ford Fusion Hybrid for a week and loved it (even though its mileage, while better than a regular sedan, is still lower than the Prius.) But a car I can drive that gets 0 mpg – and still covers 40 miles? That sounded pretty good.

I drove over to nearby University of Maryland, where test drives were being conducted. I waited around for a few minutes until it was my turn to get behind the wheel. I slid into the driver’s seat, and turned the car on. Like the Prius, the car is very quiet – if you don’t know it’s coming, you won’t hear it, that’s for sure.

Volt Dashboard (photo credit: General Motors)

The car has a state-of-the-art dashboard so you can back-up without looking over your shoulder; constantly monitor how much fuel you’re using; stay connected to your Bluetooth technology if you use it; and enjoy the high-quality BOSE sound system.

It comfortably seats four people of average height. The seat sits low because the vehicle is so stream-lined, but consequently, it can be a little hard to see out the back or over your shoulder when you’re changing lanes.

Driving the car is simple as pie. I could only take it for a short spin around the campus, so I don’t know if it is as tricky as the Prius when it comes to achieving promised benefits: the Prius is supposed to get as much as 50 mpg, but it takes a very light foot on the pedal, and a lot of coasting downhill, to achieve those gains driving in the city. Most people speed rather than drive the limit; a lot of us race between stop signs and street signals, too, all of which reduce average fuel efficiency. I couldn’t drive the Volt long enough to know if personal driving style will prevent a driver from actually covering 40 miles on the single electrical charge as promised. That’s something worth paying attention to.

One added benefit of the Volt is that you can recharge it at home, with a standard 120-volt cable. And if you plug it in at night, the electricity you buy from your power company to pump into your car will be a bit cheaper.

Is the Volt an improvement over gasoline-powered vehicles? Absolutely.

Still, I can’t help but think that we’d all be better off not owning cars at all. We could walk and bicycle more in our neighborhoods, telecommute one or two days a week to work, carpool, shop online, use ZipCar or other car membership sites, or rent the new electric Nissan Leaf from Enterprise.

I don’t think I’ll be shelling out $40,000 for a Volt any time soon. It makes more sense, at least for right now, to drive less and follow these money-saving suggestions for saving gas when I do drive.

Visit Practically Green for lots of recommended actions on cars and transportation, from Carpool to School Once to Upgrade my vehicle’s fuel-economy by >20 MPG (100 points).

You can subscribe to Diane’s blog here. Find out about the Big Green Purse One in a Million Campaign to “shift money you already spend to eco-friendly goods and services.” Follow Big Green Purse on Twitter @ biggreenpurse. And don’t miss the 4-minute clip of Diane’s appearance on Fox Business discussing automotive fuel-efficiencies!

News Picks:

40 Uses for Baking Soda: Baking soda is cheap and free of toxic chemicals, so put it to use in multiple ways! We’ve always used it in the fridge to neutralize odors: why not use it to make homemade mouthwash!

Best Baby Bike Seats: The first day of summer is Monday, June 21st! Get outside and pedal off with your little one close by you in these stylish and convenient seats….

4 Kid-safe Bug Repellents: Everyone hates getting bitten, but we don’t want to spray ourselves (or our kids!) with harmful chemicals. These options are natural & organic.

Multimedia Pick:
Planet Green’s The Fabulous Beekman Boys: Discovery’s Planet Green aired this hilarious show this week. It had us in tears, it is so funny! Who knew city boys and goats could mix?

The Fabulous Beekman Boys from mike goubeaux on Vimeo.

New and Cool Pick:
Eco-Friendly Candles: Melo candles are made of soy and fragranced with essential oils, and they are hand-poured into unique containers. Our favorite is the Field Grass scent in a vintage glass.

Photo Credit: http://www.etsy.com/listing/49065057/large-vintage-soy-candle-field-grass

I spent the majority of my summer after college sitting in traffic on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles and vowed never, ever again.  I only sort of like driving and I truly hate traffic.  When I moved to New York City that fall, I gave up my car and became part of the 4.5% of America that relies on public transportation to get around.  With the exception of the dog days in August when it really did smell, it wasn’t bad.  Most days I could get a seat on the bus and read the paper.  The train home was crowded but reliable.  It ran 24×7.  And no sitting in traffic.

Then I moved to Boston. Boston boasts the United States’ oldest trolley system, an extensive bus network, a commuter rail and even a commuter boat.  I lived in the city and just assumed I would still take public transportation. I found a bus to my job in Dorchester and other than a few rainy days when I got covered head to toe in mud puddle on Morrissey, the morning commute wasn’t bad. The problem was getting home. The bus didn’t seem to adhere to the schedule and at times I would be left sitting for over 45 minutes in a very dark, not particularly safe area. All to cover a distance I could drive in 8 minutes door to door. When my son was born, I realized I would get a sum total of 3 waking hours a weekday with him. Was I willing to give up 30% of those dealing with the randomness that was that bus line?  Nope. We bought a second car and I started driving to work.  And became another statistic–part of the 50% of America who has access to public transport, but doesn’t use it.

We moved a few years later and my list of musts included being able to walk to coffee and a train station. My transportation fantasy involved a short walk to the train, sitting and reading the paper, and arriving at work informed and refreshed. After moving to a house that fit the criteria perfectly, I took the train exactly once to work. That first day it took me an hour and a half (vs 30 minutes driving) and I knew I wouldn’t get home before my son was ready for bed. Sure it was greener, but when framed against time with my son?  No way green would win.  So much for my public transportation fantasy and rejoining that 4.5%.

When I left that job to start Practically Green, I celebrated that I could finally take the train to work. Yeah! That first day I was so happy to be on the train, even if it WAS packed and I didn’t get a seat. I got to work and realized my wallet had been stolen on the train. Not a great start. The next day, I was on the train home and noticed we hadn’t moved much. Instead of the expected 30 minutes, it took an hour. Some disabled train or something. If my son had been in daycare, I would have been fined and he would have been sitting there for 30 minutes with a rather annoyed teacher.

Over the next few months, train unpredictability made me late to work and home a lot–and put me in a generally foul mood over the train. When it works, it’s great. But it’s brutally slow in the morning and my line does seem to have a disproportionate number of disabled cars, delays, and other problems.

When my line was shut down and rerouted to a bus recently due to flooding, I decided to try a local bus to an express bus connection I found on Google Transit.  The stop was one block from my house.  I got a seat. It took 5 minutes to get to the express bus which ran every 10-15 minutes straight to the Back Bay in about 12 minutes.  Now this was great. Or so I thought.  Two weeks ago my Facebook post was “I want an iPhone app that tells me, right now, where my %^&* bus is!! I’ve been standing here for 40 minutes!!”  Turns out that if I miss the 8:36 bus, the next one isn’t until 9:25?!!  What kind of schedule is that?!  And oh yes, all of this framed against the reality that I could drive to my office in under 20 minutes. Which, sadly enough, I find many of my friends who live outside the city do despite outrageous parking costs. I am sticking it out, but now my transportation fantasy involves working a block from my house.

As a result of nearly 15 years on and off of public transport, I’ve been watching the debate about investing in public transportation with interest. I’m a HUGE fan of public transportation conceptually and definitely hope that we begin to embrace it more as a country for the environmental benefits as well as the smart growth benefits.  I also know the cost savings to a family are substantial.  But I have also experienced first hand why people struggle:  trip time, reliability, and frequency.  So if I could sit in these debates and bring in the “voice of the customer”, here is what I would say.

1.  If public transportation costs a whole lot more TIME than driving from Point A to Point B, most people will drive even if it’s more expensive and less green.  How much more?  Everyone has a different thresh hold, but for me, I start giving up when it takes an extra 15 minutes each way because losing thirty minutes in my day starts to be a big deal.  That’s cooking dinner or reading a bunch of bedtime stories or a meeting.  For example, I CAN get to Somerville by taking the green line to the red line or a bus to a bus. In over an hour. Or I can drive the 20 minutes it takes. If I could get there in ~30 minutes?  No brainer. The only way to address this is to create a train infrastructure that looks more like a web than the standard hub and spoke OR you have to have more frequent train/bus connections and more express options….which gets me to Point #2.

2.  You just can’t have a schedule with only one train/bus every 45 minutes and expect loads of people to switch to it.  I don’t HAVE 45 minutes to be “flexible”.  I’ve got, maybe, 15 minutes, to wait for a bus or train once I’ve dropped my son at school or gotten out of work and neither of those institutions really cares about the bus schedule.  I would bet that if there aren’t at least four departures an hour for a bus or train from say 7AM to 8PM, you will struggle to convince significantly more people who are time-constrained and who have a financial choice to take it.  And if it doesn’t come frequently enough, forget about those spontaneous “short trips” like the grocery store or the Y or the park. Too much work to figure out when it’s arriving and too hard to schedule around. Driving wins.  I can already hear the transportation execs screaming that this will bankrupt us so I wish someone would fund a test for a year in a city with a decent, but not perfect bus/train system of guaranteed every 15 minute departures during  the majority of the day with no need to plan, look at a schedule, etc— and measure what happens to ridership. Maybe it offsets a good portion of the expense?

3.  You NEED phone apps that tell people where their *&&^ bus or train is and you have to get those “Next departure in X minutes” signs working and in more places.  There’s nothing worse than sitting at a stop wondering if you’ve missed it—especially when it only comes every 45 minutes and your son is sitting at daycare or you are supposed to be meeting with your boss. When I’m driving I at least feel in control. If you give me information, we gain back some of that control that we all crave.  (By the way, go to every 15 minutes reliably and you don’t need this…)

4.  You have to be reliable and predictable the VAST majority of the time as opposed to regularly having problems. I would estimate I have a problem that delays my expected arrival by >15 minutes at least two times a week on the train. That drives people off the system and into their cars because at least traffic is relatively predictable and you aren’t constantly calling bosses/schools/daycares to apologize. Get that number to less than one delay a month. Then get down to one a year.

In my humble opinion, these are the “musts” that will convince significantly more people to get out of their cars (with safety the other).  The “good experience things” come next.  I would like a seat at least some of the time (frequency would help that), would like the A/C to work when it’s 90 degrees in August, clean stations & cars are good, and I would really like my iPhone to work between Arlington & Fenway because then on that mythical one day a year when the system isn’t working, at least I can call.

This post is for the Green Moms Carnival on Transportation hosted this month by Diane at Big Green Purse. Be sure to check out the stories and conversations from other green moms who have something unique to say about transportation.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10037058@N08/3320393955/

News Picks:

Google Maps Adds “Bike There” Feature: Now you can find the most direct route for a bike trek while avoiding hills and excessive traffic (we think it makes being green convenient!).

Road Test: Best All-Natural Toothpastes: Hoping to avoid the chemicals, additives, detergents and sweeteners in conventional toothpaste? Fortunately, there are healthy (and flavorful) options.

Save Money with Healthy Coupons: Sites that offer coupons for the natural and organic food you (probably) already buy.


Multimedia Link:
We already liked Annie and her Story of Stuff, but in this interview Steven Colbert does a great job of playfully challenging her and cracking a few jokes which makes us love her message even more.

The Colbert Report	Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Annie Leonard
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Skate Expectations

New and Cool Pick:

Waterpebble Water-Saving Device: This cute device measures how much water you use while you shower then challenges you to shorten your bathing time the next time you step into the tub.
(Those of us who are known klutzes may not want to purchase one of these cool devices, but we will buy them for our coordinated friends!)


Photo credit: http://gizmodo.com/5487584/waterpebble-encourages-shorter-water+saving-showers